Tuesday 31 March 2015

Jack Links Beef Snack + Coupon!

Hi Guys,


So recently I was offered the opportunity to test for my blog 'Jack Links Beef Snacks'. After a quick Google of the product, I was definitely intrigued, especially since i've never tried anything like beef jerky before!

'Jack Links Beef Snack -Original'

According to their website Jack Links beef snacks are;

'...Made with New Zealand beef which is finely chopped, seasoned, slow cooked and smoked according to the JACK LINK'S family recipe.
The delicious tender beef snacks offer an unbeatable experience for all your senses, and guarantee the best quality from the Link family.
The bite sized bars have a long shelf life and are high in protein. They are excellent energy boosters and the perfect snacks you can enjoy at any time.
The beef snacks are available in 25g bars'.


'Original' flavour -25g bar.

After reading the description for the product, naturally I was excited for it to arrive and it certainly didn't disappoint! I was sent the 'original' flavoured beef snack. Which is one of two flavours that they offer, the other being a 'peppered' flavour. I'm definitely thankful they sent the 'original' flavour as i'm not too fond of pepper! 

Now for the actual review! As soon as I opened the packet, I was hit with the rich, delicious smell of beef, which is exactly what I wanted from this product! The beef comes in a 'stick' form, and is slightly greasy to touch which isn't as unpleasant as it sounds, since it helps the beef stay moist and not dry.

'Original -'smoky-spicy-barbecue-temptation'
The taste of the beef is where the specialness of the product lies. The snack obviously tastes meaty and has that strong beef flavour, however it is combined with a smoky after taste and a slight hint of spices, which make the product taste divine!
I can say that my brother has stolen most of my bars as snacks for after the gym! And with my brother being the most fussiest easter around, there's no greater endorsement for the product then that!

I would definitely recommend this product to anyone wanting a protein snack for exercise as just one 25g bar contains 27.8g of protein! However, I would also recommend this product to anyone who loves beef or beef jerky as it's a wonderful snack that needs attention!

Thankfully for us brits, Jack Links are rolling out their products in 1,600 Tesco Express stores! To celebrate this fantastic launch, Jack Link's is also offering shoppers 50p off it's beef snack bar at Tesco Express!
To claim this voucher, readers should visit; https:www.facebook.com/jack.links.eu and click the '50p off coupon tab' to print the coupon.  

Also, I would definitely recommend having a quick glance at the Jack Link's website, at all the other fantastic products they offer and just to read more about how this fantastic brand came around!

Would I buy this product again?: YES 






Monday 6 October 2014

ASDA: Christmas In Store Round-UP!


I was walking round ASDA today doing the usual weekly shop and spontaneously decided to do a bit of a 'round up' of the new Christmas products ASDA have already started displaying on it's shelves!

Festive Flying Saucers:

'Festive Flying Sauces £3'

Firstly, ASDA have introduced for this year these tubs of your typical pick 'n' mix sweets for the very affordable price of £3! I think these are a fantastic idea for Christmas, as many children (and adults!) have intolerances to chocolate......so these tubs serve as a fantastic alternative to the classic tubs of Celebrations or Heroes! There is a wide variety of choice with these tubs ranging from jelly sweets to marshmallows and these flying saucers!

Munchies Roll:

'Munchies £3'

Next on the list is this HUGE roll of Munchies! Now i'm a huge fan of Munchies so I can see this being added to the shopping trolley in the near future for Christmas! These rolls contain 3x100mg bags of munchies.....which is more than enough to satisfy any chocolate/caramel cravings you have this Christmas! Currently £3.

Quality Street Large Tin:

'Quality Street 1.28kg tin £8'
Next we have the 'large'(or should I say previously normal!) sized tins from Quality Street! These tins weigh in at a hefty 1.28 kg and cost £8, which is considerably different from the 'tubs' that ASDA are selling for £5 which weigh in at 780 kg. I personally have to say every year I get so disappointed at how much smaller, and smaller our tins are becoming! These tins do solve that problem, however be prepared to pay practically double the price for them!

Toblerone Triangle:

'Toblerone Triangle £2'

Toblerone have also revamped their style for Christmas with this fab looking stocking filler that anyone would be pleased to find on Christmas morning! Set in a triangle shape, with a little 'Merry Christmas' note on the packaging, I myself will be paying the very reasonable £2 price for a couple of these as little 'add on' presents for friends and family!

Quality Street Large Strawberry Delight:



Now this Christmas product is one of the ones that i'm most excited about! It's no secret that I love the 'creme' sweets from the Quality Street tins.....so when Quality Street brought out the large versions of 'The Purple One', Fudge and Toffee ones I was eagerly awaiting,with my fingers crossed, for the day that they finally brought out the Strawberry Dream ones. This is something that will definitely be making at least one appearance in my household this Christmas! Currently priced at £5.


Frozen Christmas Chocolates:

'Chocolate Snowies £1'

'Milk & White Chocolate Pieces £1'

I couldn't resist adding these to the list! These are completely adorable and would surely brighten up any little girls Christmas day if she's a Frozen fan! These two are just a small variety of the 'Frozen' chocolate options that ASDA have in for Christmas, but for the price of £1 you can't really go wrong!

Quality Street/Guylian/Heroes etc... Pouches:



For those that have no desire for the tub version of these chocolates or would just rather a smaller amount, then these pouches are ideal for you! These bags do contain around 200 kg less than the normal size tubs, but they are cheaper at £4!

Extra Special Father Christmas:



I couldn't resist adding this beauty to the round up either! Made from extra special Chocolate with a higher than average cocoa content this giant Father Christmas would be the creme de la creme of the Christmas table! Currently £15.

ASDA Christmas Baking:




I LOVE baking at Christmas time....so when I passed the baking aisle and saw that ASDA had a new 'Christmas' range of products, I had to restrain myself from doing a little jig in store!!
First up we have the 'Cake-Pop Kit'. Priced at £2....I've never made any Cake Pops before, so I may have to give these a try closer to Christmas! They look like a fun activity for the family to partake in at Christmas time!

'Cake Decorations £1-2'

ASDA have also introduced a wide range of new cake decoration products for Christmas! These are right up my street! I love baking during Christmas time....when it's freezing cold outside, but the house is filled with the warmth and the homely smell of baking! ....And what makes things even better is the exceptional price of these products! All coming in at under £3! There are a variety of products that would look and taste perfect atop a cake or a lovely yule log! These include Shimmer Snowballs (£1) Milk & White Chocolate decorations (£2), Sugar Sparkle Dust (£2) and many more!

......And it's only October! I'm pretty sure there will be another follow up post closer to Christmas with an even wider range of Christmas products! If you happen to spot anything new and exciting for Christmas then feel free to let me know!

xo


Tuesday 2 September 2014

Pringles Party Speakers



Hi Guys!

So recently I was contacted by a PR company asking if I would like to feature the limited edition 'Pringles Party Can' speakers. Now this is something slightly different from the usual products reviewed on my blog....but who can turn down the offer of experiencing some LED flashing speakers? Certainly not me that's for sure!



'Pringles Party Speaker Can'


As part of their summer promotion, Pringles are dialling up the fun this summer with it's new 'disco can' promotions. To accompany this, Pringles, have had the marvellous idea of offering the public the opportunity to get their hands on some limited edition LED flashing speakers!



'Pringles Disco Can'

To get your hands on one of these fantastic LED speakers, all you need to do is purchase 2 of the 'disco can' versions of Pringles, visit the Pringles website here and enter the batch codes found on the bottom of each can.

'Purchas 2 cans to receive your party speakers'

A £3 postage fee does apply for this service, however I do believe these speakers are well worth that fee as these are actually decent speakers! And the addition of the flashing LED lights, makes these speakers the perfect addition to either a family barbecue or a full blown party!
The quality of sound that emanates from these speakers does in fact equal that found in high end speakers that can be bought from the main retailers.



The speakers work by connecting to a smart phone or ipod device (as shown above) and flash different colours to the sound of the music beats. The speakers can also be linked together to turn up the music even LOUDER at parties, barbecues and picnics.

I think it's pretty neat that the speakers fit perfectly on top of the Pringles tube itself! The flavours included in this promotion are Original, Sour Cream & Onion and Salt & Vinegar. They are available in all leading supermarkets with an RRP of £2.69 for 190g.

For more information you can find Pringles on Twitter here and Facebook here.

#pringlespartytour


I received this product in order to produce an honest review, and all views/opinions expressed are completely my own

Monday 14 July 2014

NEW! Morrisons' 'Chocolate Marshmallow Cup'



On my last trip to Morrisons I was looking for something chocolate-y and sweet to take home with me to devour, and luckily I came across a new range of 'really good puds' that Morrisons' have recently introduced.

Of course me being the chocoholic that I am, my eyes were immediately drawn to the 'Marshmallow Chocolate Cups'.....

'Morrisons' Marshmallow Chocolate Cups'

They look tasty don't they?.....

Well I certainly thought so!.....At the price of £1.99 for two portions I didn't think they were too bad! So I popped them in my trolley and off I went looking forward to devouring one that evening!
The box contains two 'marshmallow chocolate cups' and is described as;

 'Mini Coffee cups packed with creamy chocolate sauce on a chocolatey biscuit base, topped with gooey marshmallow froth and a dusting of cocoa'

To say that I was disappointed when I realised that the 'cups' were not actual edible would be a huge understatement!!.....I think there is definitely an issue with misadvertising here, as on appearance you are led to believe that the product is a 'marshmallow chocolate cup'. When in reality it's marshmallow and chocolate INSIDE a cup.

'183 Kcal per 61g cup'

However, after getting over the initial disappointment that I wouldn't be able to consume the actual cup....the dessert did actually taste really nice! The dessert appeared to be 'layered' inside the cup, with a biscuit base at the bottom, followed by a layer of chocolate sauce/mousse and then topped with marshmallow froth.

'£1.99 for 2 portions'

My favourite part of the dessert was definitely the marshmallow froth at the top! It was light, sweet and tasted divine! And it gave a nice added sweetness to the chocolate mousse layer following it!...The biscuit base at the bottom tasted alright, it's nothing to scream in joy about, but it tasted good and added a bit of depth and texture to the cup.

Overall, I really enjoyed this dessert! The addition of the little chocolate stick and dusting of cocoa at the top was a nice touch, and the marshmallow froth tasted amazing. However, I couldn't help but feel let down that the cup wasn't actually edible! That would have taken the dessert to a whole new level and made me want to buy it again and again! 

Would I buy this again? Maybe


Sunday 13 July 2014

Pringles 'Brazilian Zesty Chili Style'


So recently I was contacted by a PR company about reviewing a new Pringles flavour designed specifically to be introduced around the time of the World Cup.

The new 'Brazilian Zesty Chili' flavour, is just one of a long line of products that have been styled to fit the 'Brazilian' theme of the World Cup.

190g tube

Personally, I am a huge fan of the Pringles brand already, my favourite being the Sour Cream & Onion flavour, so of course when I was contacted I immediately agreed to feature this new flavour on my blog!

On arrival, the tube was slightly smushed....but I have seen this has also been a problem for a couple other reviewers too...and to be honest problems can occur all the time with shipping so this wasn't much of an issue for me!

Now onto the taste! Once I opened the tube, and peeled back the lid I was immediately hit with the sharp smell of lime and chili (surely a good sign that the flavours are right!) .....However, this made me slightly apprehensive as I'm not really a 'spicy' girl...and tend to go for more neutral and subtle flavours, but for the sake of this review I dug in!

154 Kcal per 30g

....And I can honestly say that I was pleasantly surprised! I was expecting these Pringles to have a very tart and tangy taste from the lime and chili flavour...however, it was much more subtle, and whilst the chili did bring a bit of heat to the crisps, the addition of the zesty lime helped tone the flavour down to a more bearable level!

I would definitely recommend these Pringles to anyone planning a World Cup Final party for tonight! They would be the perfect, zesty addition to a party and the design of the tube would fit right in! These Pringles are currently available in most supermarkets and ASDA currently have Pringles on offer on a 2 for £2 bargain! These 'brazilian zesty chili style' Pringles have an RRP of £2.69.


Would I buy these again? YES


Thursday 17 April 2014

Hotel Chocolat 'You Crack Me Up Extra Thick' Easter Egg

The wonderful people at Hotel Chocolat contacted me recently asking if I would like to review one of their Easter eggs....and of course I said yes! (I would have been a fool not to, since their chocolate is to die for!)

......So when the postman delivered me a beautifully presented, gift-wrapped parcel the other day I was incredibly excited!!

'Easter 'You Crack Me Up Extra Thick' Egg'

 The description of this Easter egg on their website certainly gets the mouth watering!

'When we first started making our eggs 13 years ago, we were 
advised by experts to make them as thin as possible and put the chocolates on the outside.
 We did the opposite!

Our irresistibly upbeat extra thick Easter egg is cast in milk chocolate 
and our award-winning high-cocoa white chocolate, and inside you'll discover 
12 smiley face pralines and happy chicks.'


....with a description like that how can you say no?!?!

'Thick Easter Egg accompanied by 12 smiley face Pralines and happy Chicks'

'Cast in Milk Chocolate and our award-winning high-cocoa White Chocolate'

Hotel Chocolat are fabulous chocolatiers that have a strong ingredients philosophy to use only wholesome, real ingredients and their mantra is 'More Cocoa, Less Sugar'. 
What makes these eggs even more enticing is that they are suitable for vegetarians, and are alcohol free!

Now onto the actual egg!

After spending about 20 minutes convincing myself that this egg needed to be opened in spite of the gorgeous parcelling, I finally mustered up the courage to rip into the beautiful packaging and stopped short in shock when I came across what seemed to be a mahoosive egg-shaped lump of chocolate...

'415g/ 14.6 oz'

....Now i've never had a Hotel Chocolat egg before, and I am admittedly a bit of a pessimist. So when I read the description of this egg and saw that it was supposedly 'extra thick'....I thought 'Yeah right....it might be a tiny bit thicker than the competition on the market but it won't be amazingly thick'

Guys.....it was AMAZINGLY thick!! I have to say I am delighted to let you guys know that I was wrong, and I am pleasantly surprised with the thickness of this egg!

Aesthetically, this egg is simply fantastic! The mix of their award winning white and milk chocolate creates an eye popping 'marble' effect and gives this egg that added 'oomph' that you desire in a nice high-end egg!

'Suitable for Vegetarians'

Taste wise...the egg is even more amazing than it looks! The chocolate is creamy and smooth and melts wonderfully in the mouth. I can honestly say I have no complaints whatsoever with this egg, appearance or taste wise!

'Extra Thick Egg!...Warning! May require excessive force to dig in! ;)'

Following the mad frenzy that ensued when my family pounced on this egg....all eyes (and stomachs) turned towards the 12 delightfully cute chocolates stuffed inside the egg. These were;

'More Cocoa, Less Sugar'

Chocolate Brownie x2 : Crispy chocolate buttercream encased in milk chocolate.

Crunchy Praline x2 : Crunchy biscuit pieces and praline encased in mocha chocolate.

Milk Praline Fried Egg x2: A milk chocolate, hazelnut, praline-filled half shell, topped with a white chocolate fried egg.

Milk Chocolate Chick x2:  A flightless, fabulous chick cast in mellow and creamy 40% milk chocolate.A

White Soldiers x2: Creamy white chocolate soldiers pre-dipped with a dollop of creamy chocolate yolk.

Smooth Caramel Bow Tie Bunny x2: A dapper Easter bunny cast in smooth and sensual caramel milk chocolate.


'12 Delicious chocolates found within each egg!'

Overall, all of these mini chocolates tasted delicious and fit in nicely with the egg. My personal favourites were the Chocolate Brownie (the smoothness of the chocolate buttercream was simply divine) and the White Soldiers (the white chocolate was the best white chocolate i've ever tasted).

In Conclusion, this egg is all you could ever want or need from an Easter egg. It does come at a marginally expensive price of £28....however believe me when I say this: These eggs are well worth the cost!!

As said previously, I have never brought a Hotel Chocolat egg, this is most likely due to the price which I assume is quite a big issue for many people. However, since trying this egg I am 100% certain that I will from now on buy Hotel Chocolat eggs. Compared to the typical Dairy Milk or Malteser Easter eggs that can be brought for £5 or £10....this egg is much more upmarket, and the taste certainly matches price! This was a 'eggcellent' egg, and an even more wonderful tasting experience! 

Quality over quantity was never more true!....Their mantra of 'More Cocoa, Less Sugar' is definitely apparent in these eggs!

To buy one of these fabulous eggs (which I definitely recommend to all my fellow chocoholics!)...You can find it (and other varieties) on Hotel Chocolat's website here.

....And for offers and competitions you can follow them on twitter here or like them on facebook here.


I received this product in order to produce an honest review, and all views/opinions expressed are completely my own.

Would I buy this again? YES!....100% 









Saturday 15 March 2014

ZICO Chocolate Flavoured Coconut Water


I know what you guys are thinking........

"Chocolate flavoured coconut water?? Bleurghhh that can't actually taste nice?!"

But fear not, my readers!! Hopefully this review will help change your mind and query your beliefs!

So last week I was just casually meandering around my local Home Bargains when I came across these bottles of ZICO chocolate coconut water for 49p! YES, that's right only 49p! I have to admit though, that my first thoughts were 'This looks a little odd' and 'Will this actually taste nice?'.....but for 49p I thought what the hell! And plonked it in my basket to review for you guys!

"ZICO Chocolate Flavoured Coconut Water"

ZICO promotes all their coconut waters as containing 5 electrolytes (Sodium, Magnesium, Calcium, Potassium and Phosphorus)....and also incorporates as much Potassium as found in a banana....in the words of ZICO -"giving it that extra OOMPH!"

Described on their website as; "A delicious combination of 85% coconut water from concentrate, an irresistible natural chocolate flavour and other delicious ingredients. ZICO chocolate is a great source of sweet, sweet hydration. Plus it has half the calories and sugar of the leading chocolate milk!" 

And if that still doesn't tempt you to buy this...then how about the fact that this bottle only contains 80 calories?....and is gluten-free, lactose-free and dairy-free!

"80 Kcal per bottle (400ml)"

So ZICO recommends that this delicious drink should be consumed chilled....as such this little beauty has been sat in my fridge waiting all week for me to finally get round to trying it! After giving it the recommended shake, I twisted the cap and looked down into what appears like a muddy chocolatey water based drink....which even I'll admit doesn't seem too appetising! However, never judge a book by it's cover.....

"Naturally a rich source in Potassium which helps maintain normal muscle function"

Taste wise, the best way I can describe this drink is saying that it tastes like watered down chocolate milk......this is definitely a good thing though!! It actually tastes really, really nice!
Now those people out there expecting it to taste like chocolate milk will be sadly disappointed! This drink tastes much thinner, which is most likely due to the lack of creaminess that the milk supplies! However, the dash of coconut milk in this drink does give it that added silky smoothness which really ensures this drink tastes good!

There are also some fantastic recipes that can be found for this chocolate flavoured coconut water (and their other flavours) on their Facebook recipe page found here.

One of the best recipes I have found that I look forward to trying is called 'ZICO in the middle':

  • 1 cup of ZICO Chocolate flavoured coconut water
  • 1/2 cup of Ice
  • 1/2 Banana
  • 1 Tpsb. of Almond Butter (or Peanut Butter)
  • 1 square of Dark Chocolate (or for the 'real deal', try a pinch of Cacao nibs or a few Cacao beans)
Blend together all the Ingredients and enjoy!


"Drink Well. Think Well. Renew Yourself."

In conclusion, I am extremely pleased that I decided to take the plunge and buy this product!....I'm that pleased with this drink that I went back to Home Bargains and stocked up on some more yesterday! This is extremely good as a post-workout drink to refuel, and I think it would be a great 'pick-me-up' to re-energise when I'm ill and even a nice treat whenever I get that sweet craving for something chocolatey but don't want to feel guilty!

I definitely recommend this product to everyone! Whether it's used for sports and fitness purposes or diet purposes, it definitely seems like an all round drink that can suit many peoples needs! After some research, I have found that ZICO have many flavours of coconut water including; Pineapple, Passionfruit and Strawberry and Banana....Unfortunately, unless purchased on Amazon or other websites these drinks only seem available across the pond from us! 
However, when I went back to Home Bargains yesterday to stock up on these Chocolate flavoured waters they did happen to have the Mango flavour in stock! So I brought one of them too!....So don't be surprised to see a review of that shortly....and hopefully more varieties will pop up in some of our retailers soon!


Would I buy these again? YES!